You're a country girl in 13th-century England and there's trouble ahead. The year is 1215 and King John is in a power struggle with his barons, lords of Norman-French descent. The king has been forced to sign an agreement with the barons - the Magna Carta - which gives them the right to overrule the king. But John shows no sign of sticking to the agreement. When some of the angry barons rebel, you find yourself caught up in a terrible siege.
The humorous cartoon-style illustrations and the narrative approach placing readers at the centre of the narrative history encourage readers to get emotionally involved with the characters, aiding their understanding of what life would have been like in a medieval castle. Informative captions, a complete glossary and an index make this title an ideal introduction to the conventions of non-fiction texts for young readers.
Sample fact: 'Spiral stairs must turn clockwise. That gives you elbow-room (if you're right-handed) to swing your sword against an attacker climbing up towards you.'
This is Book 41 in the You Wouldn't Want to be Series. See all You Wouldn't Want to be books here.
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John Malam studied ancient history and archaeology at the University of Birmingham, after which he worked as an archaeologist at the Iron Bridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire. He is now an author specialising in information books for children. He lives in Cheshire with his wife, a book designer, and their two children.
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